Monday, November 22, 2010

Emerging market: Christine Mehring on the birth of the contemporary art fair

The first contemporary art fair was held in Colonge, Germany in 1967

KUNSTMARKT 67 opened its door on September, 13th.

Today's art fairs model the way KUNSTMARKT 67 operated.

Art Fairs help the art market economy.

During the 60's London lacked collectors.

Zwirner opened the first YEARLY contemporary art fair in London on July 4th, 1966.

"Here is a very broad desire not just to see art but to own it, a desire that had not been evident in the galleries at all." Thus, building a new and broad collecting base became the driving force behind the founding of KUNSTMARKT, effectively co-opting for a capitalist cause the pervasive calls on the part of leftist student groups to make art more accessible to everyone."

*** I really enjoy this statement because I liked the fact that Zwirner & Stunke wanted to make art more accessible to everyone-students, dealers, collectors, parents' and children-- I believe that art should be shown to everyone and not a select group-art is univeral.***

Printing limited-edition artist-design covers helped bring in more than 130,000 & + people for this art fair every year. These collecting novelties helped bring in the masses.

Vision of art fairs to have a transperant transaction with art.

Zwirner & Stunke purposely made art fairs "Commercial."

"Their focus on contemporary art functioned as both a means of publicity and a matter of economic necessity when appealing to young and adventurous but less affluent audiences."

Art work showing in the fairs had to be progressive.

"During its most vibrant years, between 1967 and 1972, the KUNSTMARKT was largely responsible for generating the most public and open discussion about the contemporary art market in history."

Without the birth of KUNSTMARKT, the art market would not be generating a stedy flow of money." Art is life and the art market is money is obvious in this article.

What would happen if we didn't have an art market?

Why is the lighting so cheesy on poor at the convention center at the Miami Art Basel?

I do not think that showing certain pieces of work in a convention center is not a good thing because of the poor lighting and cheesy curating.